The Surprising Story Behind Meghan Markle’s Wedding Day Makeup

29 million people may have tuned in to the royal wedding last May, watching closely as Meghan Markle Duchess of Sussex said “I do,” but today, new details have surfaced about the bride's makeup look. Speaking to Harper's Bazaar, the man behind Markle's glowing complexion and sculpted cheekbones, celebrity makeup artist Daniel Martin, revealed that the two coordinated the entire thing over text message before the big day.

"I knew she just wanted to be radiant, glowy, and polished with nothing too done," explained Martin of the bride's stunning look. The duo have been friends for over 10 years and have worked together on many red carpets and events, but because of their busy schedules, they didn't even have time for a makeup trial—a traditional step that many brides-to-be take in order to test out different ideas before their wedding.

It turns out the prep work wasn’t necessary, even as Martin had to work with different lighting scenarios—from bright camera lights to natural sunlight—for Markle's big reveal up the Windsor Castle steps. Relying on his seasoned talent and ability to give clients a lit-from-within look, Martin was able to deliver a flawless application that was nowhere near overdone. "There was so much structure in the dress," he said, "that I believe if she had any more make-up on, you wouldn’t even look at the dress, and that wasn’t the intention." It turns out that when you've got the right friends, it's possible to make big beauty decisions from across oceans.